Flexible road-drag.



o. H. GILLESPIE.

FLEXIBLE ROAD DRAG. 'ArrLmurox-PILBD JUNE so, 190s.

919,428. Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

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` 0. H. GILLESPIE.

FLEXIBLE ROAD DRAG. APPLIoATroN FILED JUNE so, 190s.

Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

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OZRO H. GILLESPIE, OF MADISON, NEBRASKA.

FLEXIBLE ROAD-DRAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 27, 1909.

Application filed June 30, 1908. Serial No. 441,234.

l'o all'wkem 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ozno II. Ginnnsrin, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Madison, State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Flexible Road-Drag, of which the 'following is; a specification.

This invention relates to a flexible road drag and has for its object to provide a simple inexpensive. and flexible drag, which will conform to any shape of grade.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible road drag which will carry the plurality of streams of dirt, and the like, from the side of the road and deposit same in the center thereof.

To these ends my improved road drag consists in certain features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring tothe accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout several views: Figure 1, is a perspective view of my exible road drag with the rubbish boxes removed. Fig. 2, 1s a front view of my road drag with the rdraw-bars and evener detached, showing how same conforms to the shape of the grade. Fig. 3, is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 1,-1 of Fig. 1 with the draw-bars detached. Fig. 4, 1s a plan view of one end of the road drag with portions thereof broken away.

In carrying out the aim of my invention, I employ a plurality of metallic drag plates l preferably 12 in drawing. These plates l are each pivotally connected near their ends to the tie-rods Q, 3, 4, 5 and G. These plates l, it will be observed, are arranged in three rows, each row running parallel with the other thereby forming four sections, A, B, C and D, pivot-ally connected together. Encircling the rods 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are the spacing collars 7, which space each row of plates 1 the same distance apart, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Each tie rod, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 is provided with an eye 8 at one end and threaded as at 9 at the other end and provided with a bur 10, and a lock nut 11, to prevent the burs 10 from coming loose and thereby allowing the drag plates 1 to become loose.

Pivotally connected to the eyes S of each of the rods 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are the connecting rods 12, 13, 14, 15 and 1G, which rods are pivotally connected at their opposite ends by means of the bolt 17 to the clevis 1S. .Each clevis in turn is connected to clevis 19, which is pivotally connected to a suitable evener, or the like, 20.

Iivotally connected`at each end of the road drag to the rods 2 and G are the semicircular rods 21. having the looped ends 22,

which encircle the rods 2 and G near each end thereof and engage the inner faces of the outer drag plates l and the outer faces of the spacing collars 7, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 4.

It will be observed from Fig. 1 of the drawings that the evener is not connected to the draw rods in the center of the drag but is connected a little to one side, as shown, so as to allow a side draft which will cause the drag to pull forward at one end thereby causing all lumps and rubbish to [ind its way to the center' of the road, owing to the fact that the drag is only adapted to 'take up but one-half of the road. There it is desired to work on one side of the road only, detach evener No. Q0 from clevis 1S, turn drag over, as it is double sided, lconnect evener 20 to clevis 1S again, and go back over same side of road, throwing dirt toward center thereof. Then it is desired to drive over a bridge, or the like, with road drag, the evener 20 is disconnected and connected to one of the semicircular rods 21, so as to allow the road drag to be pulled endwise over the bridge or the like.

Placed at each end of sections A, and D, or wherever driver may desire, is a rubbish box 23, in which can be deposited all rubbish or the like, to be carried to a convenient dumping place. Then the road drag is properly used it will gather all loose dirt and deposit same in the center of the road; it will cut ott' all dumps and ridges, till in ruts and low places and round up the center of the roads so that. water will run off. The dirt is not only carried in one stream to the center of the road, but in three streams as is manifest in Fig. 1 in the drawings.

Referring t0 Fig. 2 in the drawings, it will be readily seen, that drag will conform to the shape of the grade, owing to its flexibility. This view shows one side of the road high in the center and the center proper of the road low, and by use of my drag the high places at the side of the road are cut down and deposited in the center. lf, however', the drag is not heavy enough to cut off high or uneven places, driver may step on to any part of drag, using his weight to make the blades cut deeper. Also, in filling low places at culverts, etc., driver steps on forward end to make drag fill and carry, shifting to rear end or' drag to cause it to unload.

lt will. be seen from the foregoing description that l produce a simple, cheap and etlicient means for the smoothing and rounding up of roads and one which is flexible and reversible, it consisting of no coin-plicated parts or mechanism to break or get out of order.

Having fully described my invention, what l claini is:

l. A. read drag comprising a series of suitably spaced drag-plates one in the rear or' the other, a tie-rod passing tl'irough the ends of each or" said drag-plates for forniing a plurality of sections, and a collar encircling said rods between each drag-plate tor spacing said plates in equal spaced relat-ion.

2. A road drag comprising a series of suitably spaced drag-plates one in the rear of the other, a tie-rod passing through the ends of each of said drag-plates for forniing a plurality of sections, and a collar encircling said rods between each drag-plate for spacing said plates in equal spaced relation, a seriesy of draw-rods, and an evener pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said draw-rods.

3. A road drag comprising a series of suitably spaced drag-plates one in the rear of the other, a tie-rod passing through the ends of each of said drag-plates for forinino' a plurality of sections, and a collar en- L lling said rods between each drag-plate for spacing said plates in equal spaced relation. and a seniicircular rod pivotally connected to each of the end tie-rods.

4:. A road drag, consisting of a seriesof suitably spaced drag plates, tie rods passing through said plates and provided with an eye at one end, spacing collars encircling said rods, draw rods connected to each of said tie rods, an evener pivotally connected to said draw-rods, a rubbish box suitably mounted on each end or" said road drag and a seinicircular rod or bail pivotally connected to each of the end tie rods.

ln 'testimony whereof l have signed niy naine to the specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OZRO l-l. GILLESPE.

Vitnesses KATE E.LESTINA, Lizzrn A HLMANN. 

